Doesn’t it always feel like a heat wave has swept over the school? With  strange sensations of sweaty kids and interesting odors wafting around the building, humidity combined with uncomfortable temperatures proves to be a major distraction to students when trying to concentrate in class. In fact, by looking at the overly warm temperatures at RHS, it is clear that they must be out in order to provide a comfortable learning environment.

First of all, the fact that it is too warm  in the building proves to be a major obstacle when trying to stay awake in class. Many students come to school extremely tired due to a lack of sleep from homework, tests or extra-curriculars, so why make harder for them to stay awake and involved in classroom discussions when their body is already so nice and cozy?

Secondly, the hot temperatures that are a part of the school’s atmosphere make it harder for students to concentrate on important tests and quizzes. In fact, a handful of people already experience test anxiety in “normal” classroom conditions, so too much heat while test taking could potentially be that one distraction factor that throws one’s grade off. How frustrating is it that you bombed a test that you may have spent hours studying for just because the room temperature sparked a sudden uneasiness while testing?

Another important reason why the school should fix the heating systems is because of the foul smelling odors given off by kids when exposed to such heat. For an age group going through various hormonal changes, the temperature in the building should be kept significantly lower. After all, most students would agree it isn’t  really convenient to learn in  an environment plagued by the pungent smells of sweat, body odor, and hormones, so why not just fix the heating/furnace systems as as soon as possible?

Others may argue that it’s more environmentally conscious to keep the temperature where it is, decreasing the amount of energy that must be used to cool the school. The problem with this argument is that school is designed as a place where kids go to learn, and if the high temperatures are preventing this, it defeats the purpose.

In conclusion, the district may want to consider adjusting the current temperature window of 70-74 degrees (which feels more like something in the 80’s) to something lower. If the goal of the staff at RHS is to help students lead Responsible, Healthy, Successful lives, it needs to start with a more comfortable learning environment.